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The Chicago Blackhawks are in the midst of a full-blown rebuild after trading LW Alex DeBrincat on draft day Thursday. Does that mean we may see Jonathan Toews and/or Patrick Kane go next?
Asked agent Pat Brisson about his client Patrick Kane and his NHL future in lieu of today’s trades by the rebuilding Blackhawks. Brisson said they’re not “going to make any decisions or comments at this point.”
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 8, 2022
Both Kane and Toews are in the final season of their matching contracts signed back in 2014. Each cap hit is $10.5 million, so that’s a tough salary to move. Still, Kane and Toews on rental contracts could be a big swing for a team looking to contend and looking to win the Cup.
Kane is still an elite point producer with 92 points in 78 games last season. Toews only had 37 points in 71 games after sitting out all of 2021-22. The captain may be closer to retiring than Kane is, so there’s a chance the Blackhawks ship him out to give him a shot at one last Cup. The issue there is salary vs. production. Perhaps the Hawks retaining some salary from Toews while recouping a few additional assets would be enough to get him somewhere else.
We all know Kane is from Buffalo and it feels like the most logical destination for him to end his career. The issue is whether or not Kane wants to compete for the Cup or just walk into the sunset. The Buffalo Sabres don’t appear ready to contend any time soon. Kane could help speed that along a bit.
The Detroit Red Wings are an interesting trade partner for Kane. Detroit has a ton of young assets and could maintain most of them in a deal for Kane. He’d expedite their rebuild while boosting the team into contention in the Atlantic Division. The Sabres, Arizona Coyotes, potentially Calgary Flames (pending Johnny Gaudreau) and New Jersey Devils all have the cap space to take on Kane’s $10.5 million hit.